New BreastScreen location a hit in Townsville

Record numbers of North Queensland women are accessing an important preventative health service as BreastScreen Queensland marks its first year at Domain Central.

The service relocated from The Townsville Hospital in May 2018 following a $1.6 million investment from the State Government as well as $575,000 from the Townsville Hospital and Health Service.

In its first year at Domain, 10,094 women received a breast screen an increase of eight per cent on the previous year.

BreastScreen Queensland service manager Greg Shephard said the move had been a roaring success with Townsville leading Queensland for screening rates.

“Our Townsville service has the highest participation rates in Queensland with 66 per cent of women between 50 and 74 getting their free screen every two years,” he said.

“Since we’ve moved to Domain we’ve seen a 4.5 per cent increase in new women accessing our service for the first time.

“Our program is designed to target women in the age group most at risk of developing breast cancer with the focus on early diagnoses.”

Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kieran Keyes said the move to Domain had proved to be a masterstroke.

“The feedback coming back to me from the service is that clients are getting the same excellent service but at a more convenient, central and accessible location,” he said.

“It is vital that access to preventative health is made as easy as possible and Domain Central was a logical choice because thousands of North Queenslanders visit the precinct every day.

“I’m really proud that we’ve been able to provide a modern health community where the community needed it and the success of that is borne out in the increase in women using the service.”

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